Customer Reviews

Othello (Shakespeare, Pelican)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unfortunately, with most of the professional Shakespeare editions (Folgers, Penguin, etc), the digital "sample" you download only gives you the introduction, which tells you nothing of the formatting of the play itself. Since that formatting is essential to your reading experience, this is quite frustrating -- I thought it would be worth giving a brief review to warn other users off.

Given that all of Shakespeare's works are in the public domain, I'd like to think someone would have put together nice kindle editions of them. Given the strong reviews, I thought this might be it (also, I have my students reading the print version of this edition, so it seemed like a logical choice). Alas, my search for a decent kindle experience continues.

On the positive side, the lines of this play work well on a KindleDX, so the basic reading experience is comfortable.

On the minus side, they've done extraordinarily little work to convert this book into a Kindle book.

To start with, they didn't even take the time to format acts and scenes as chapters, so there's no way to quickly navigate the text except to search for "I.iii" or what have you (or a famous line in a scene that you happen to remember!). The table of contents consists simply of "Title Page", "Copyright Page", "Introduction" and the play. The "notes" (on the bottom of each page in the print edition) are included as raw text in the kindle edition. There's no way to make the kindle page line up with the print page (even though with the DX this might be physically possible), so the notes just appear as a blob now and again, which makes them awkward to use if not useless. Furthermore, the notes refer to "line numbers" which are not included in the text. The lack of line numbers is also frustrating for people trying to use the kindle edition to interact with a class where the print edition is standard. Having line numbers is to my mind quite essential if you're going to be working with the text with others.

The play, of course, is wonderful, and this edition makes it easy to read with just enough notes to help the reasonably experienced reader along (I find these editions much less annoying than the Folger's editions, which have an overwhelming number of notes).

I loved Othello . Next to Hamlet it catches the attention and the heart of the reader . This play wraps one up in the world Shakespere recreated of Love Hate Lust Desire and Greed . I say Read it , think about it Tell a friend . I was especailly touched by the actions of Iago. Even though he was Evil incarnate one can find a little of him everywhere . Still this cant compare to the effect the drama gives one if they view it being preformed firsthand.

Always a great book to read and an essential for most english classes. Even outside of class its definitely a must.

Othello boasts one of Shakespeare's greatest villainous achievements in the character of Iago. As Iago gleefully tells us "I am not what I am", and the dramatic irony of the reader knowing this obvious information and the characters in this tragedy so oblivious to it, heightens the suspense of this earliest of stage thrillers.
Othello, like all of Shakespeare's work, captures in many exquisite lines what it means to be human, and it boast in the character of Emilia one of Shakespeare's strongest female creations. Her speech about the equality of women's and man's needs at the end of Act 4:3 resonates very powerfully today, and must have been very cutting edge to its original audience. Her defiance in the face of tragedy and determination to do the right thing also endears her to this reader.
Othello moves along at a quick pace, and if you allow yourself to become immersed in Shakespeare's language and characters you will enjoy the ride.

I first had to read this book in my senior high school years. We must have read the play at least three times, watched the movie (with Lawrence Fishburne) twice and read some of the accompanying notes. The first time we went thru it, the thing that struck me was the deceptiveness of Iago. He stands out in the book as the embodiment of true evil because of his ability to manipulate and deceive. His presence fills every scene he is in and Shakespeare doesn't give us the chance to see any redeeming qualities of this man.

Character studies are only one way to look at Othello. There are countless books on the market that dissect the play, exploring it from all angles, explaining the themes that Shakespeare explores, whether it be inter-racial marriage, jealousy or the evil nature of Iago and I would recommend you search these `aids' out if you are doing a study of Othello for your English class.

Apart from Shakespeare's literary genius, most of his stories also have a moral behind them. The ones that stood out the most in Othello were the need for trust in a relationship and the dangers of jealousy unchecked. If you haven't ever read this play, or made the excuse that the language is daunting, you are truly missing out on a masterpiece of English literature.

I consider this play one of Shakespeare's great tragedies along with Hamlet and Julius Ceasar but the only really tragic thing about Othello is reading the play and coming away from it without learning anything new about life. Now that would be a tragedy indeed!

I have read Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar, and I consider Othello to be Shakespeare's greatest tragedy that I have read to this point. The villain, Iago, is unlike any other villain. His character seems to be pure evil and is, in my mind, the most intense villain created by a writer known for his intense villains. I believe this play has a more enduring value than other Shakespeare works and can still be enjoyed by all today. It puts a clear boundary between good and evil unlike any other Shakespeare tragedy. The play centers on Iago's attempt to ruin Othello after he is passed up for a higher position in Othello's forces for a young, inexperienced soldier, Michael Cassio. He hatched an elaborate plan of evil and Othello falls perfectly into his trap. It is painful to read the play, with the knowledge of Iago's plan, if you develop sympathy for the unsuspecting Othello as he gets closer and closer to the final trap. I find it unbelievably ironic that so small an article as a handkerchief could start off such a chain of death and sadness at the end of the play, but I won't spoil the rest for those who have not read it. If you have not read Othello, please do. It is a brilliant, passionate, tragic, timeless work by perhaps the greatest writer ever.

Shakespeare's Othello is an interesting and dramatic tragedy. If you like imagery and irony, you will like Othello. Shakespeare uses the power of imagery skillfully to develop themes throughout the play. For example, recurring animal imagery is used to sharpen the contrast between people and beasts, showing how Iago and Othello begin to act more like beasts than human beings. Irony also adds much to the plot of Othello to make it interesting and exciting for the reader. Much of the irony used is dramatic irony because the reader knows of Iago's plot, while the characters in the play have no idea what is about to unfold. The relationship between men and women in Othello is another aspect of the play that makes it interesting to read. Iago's wife Emilia, for example, is very cynical towards men, probably from years of living with Iago. Othello and Desdemona's relationship is also intriguing. In the beginning of the play, Othello and Desdemona are seemingly deeply in love with each other. Othello, however, is rather easily convinced that his wife is cheating on him and becomes angry to the point where he cannot forgive Desdemona. He decides to kill her. As she is being murdered, Desdemona tries to protect her husband's innocence in her own murder. Another interesting aspect of the play which makes it stand out from other Shakespearean plays is the race of the main character. Othello is black and a Moor, or Muslim. This fact brings up issues to be explored in the play. Shakespeare shows the characters being separated not only by status and rank but also by their place of origin and their religion. Overall, Shakespeare's Othello is dramatic, well-written, and thoroughly explores how evil a human being can become.

Shakespeare's Othello is an interesting and dramatic tragedy. If you like imagery and irony, you will like Othello. Shakespeare uses the power of imagery skillfully to develop themes throughout the play. For example, recurring animal imagery is used to sharpen the contrast between people and beasts, showing how Iago and Othello begin to act more like beasts than human beings. Irony also adds much to the plot of Othello to make it interesting and exciting for the reader. Much of the irony used is dramatic irony because the reader knows of Iago's plot, while the characters in the play have no idea what is about to unfold. The relationship between men and women in Othello is another aspect of the play that makes it interesting to read. Iago's wife Emilia, for example, is very cynical towards men, probably from years of living with Iago. Othello and Desdemona's relationship is also intriguing. In the beginning of the play, Othello and Desdemona are seemingly deeply in love with each other. Othello, however, is rather easily convinced that his wife is cheating on him and becomes angry to the point where he cannot forgive Desdemona. He decides to kill her. As she is being murdered, Desdemona tries to protect her husband's innocence in her own murder. Another interesting aspect of the play which makes it stand out from other Shakespearean plays is the race of the main character. Othello is black and a Moor, or Muslim. This fact brings up issues to be explored in the play. Shakespeare shows the characters being separated not only by status and rank but also by their place of origin and their religion. Overall, Shakespeare's Othello is dramatic, well-written, and thoroughly explores how evil a human being can become.

Shakespeare's Othello is an interesting and dramatic tragedy. If you like imagery and irony, you will like Othello. Shakespeare uses the power of imagery skillfully to develop themes throughout the play. For example, recurring animal imagery is used to sharpen the contrast between people and beasts, showing how Iago and Othello begin to act more like beasts than human beings. Irony also adds much to the plot of Othello to make it interesting and exciting for the reader. Much of the irony used is dramatic irony because the reader knows of Iago's plot, while the characters in the play have no idea what is about to unfold. The relationship between men and women in Othello is another aspect of the play that makes it interesting to read. Iago's wife Emilia, for example, is very cynical towards men, probably from years of living with Iago. Othello and Desdemona's relationship is also intriguing. In the beginning of the play, Othello and Desdemona are seemingly deeply in love with each other. Othello, however, is rather easily convinced that his wife is cheating on him and becomes angry to the point where he cannot forgive Desdemona. He decides to kill her. As she is being murdered, Desdemona tries to protect her husband's innocence in her own murder. Another interesting aspect of the play which makes it stand out from other Shakespearean plays is the race of the main character. Othello is black and a Moor, or Muslim. This fact brings up issues to be explored in the play. Shakespeare shows the characters being separated not only by status and rank but also by their place of origin and their religion. Overall, Shakespeare's Othello is dramatic, well-written, and thoroughly explores how evil a human being can become.